Articles & Case Studies

Huge sewage works ups its security

The perimeter at one of Europe's largest sewage works has been enhanced as part of a £190m upgrade.

Thames Water is improving Beckton Sewage Treatment Works in East London to enable it to treat 60% more sewage than it currently does now and allow for a 10% population increase.

Beckton covers 250 acres or around 150 football pitches in the London Borough of Newham and currently serves 3.5 million people, making it Europe’s largest sewage treatment works and the fourth largest in the world.

The upgrade will ensure the site can fully treat increased flows during heavy rainfall, which currently discharge into the River Thames, and additional storm flows from the Lea Tunnel, a new four-mile sewer for storm sewage that currently overflows into the River Lee.

Thames Water has turned to long-term security fencing partner Zaun with a £½ million-plus contract to secure the 4.5km perimeter.

Zaun installed five different types of fencing in the first phase of works completed last year. It designed bespoke fencing to accommodate the variations in topographical environments in and around the site including posts cranked over by 45° to overhang the top of a channel running alongside the river to provide a climb-resistant 1m-high fence barrier to anyone trying to scale the 5m high wall.

Zaun had to adapt the special 'one-sided' fencing first designed for the nearby London 2012 Olympic Park where they could not gain access to the outside of the fence line to install fixings.

And Zaun enclosed a secure compound on the site with its acclaimed HiSec DualSkin fencing.

Phase two of the security fencing upgrade has now begun, which includes a plethora of gates and the same specification fencing beneath 700mm flat wrap or concertina razor wire topping.

Zaun has had to create several special panels and bays on site to cope with severe changes in ground level, steps up onto concrete walls and bridges, and to bolt up to existing structures as opposed to via in-ground or baseplated posts.